Max Scherzer is “healthy” after being injured in a World Series ring with the Blue Jays

LOS ANGELES – Max Scherzer has pitched for five teams since 2019, three of which have reached the World Series.

The former Mets reliever has already earned rings with the Nationals and Rangers over that stretch. If Scherzer is going to add a piece of Blue Jays hardware to his collection, it would be fitting for him to contribute on Monday night, when he is scheduled to face the Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series.

No one appreciates this moment more than the 41-year-old Scherzer, even after all the fights he had in October. Scherzer will start one of the franchise’s fourth World Series games — he also pitched for the Tigers in their 2012 Series loss to the Giants.

It’s a contrast to his Blue Jays bench coach, Don Mattingly, who needed even this season — his 36th in a major league uniform — To reach the world championship.

“You just think about everything, throughout your whole life, about all the different things that have unfolded, and you’re lucky to have another crack at that,” Scherzer said. “There’s a lot of great players who have never been to a World Series, and a lot of great players have only had one World Series. With Donnie on our team, you know, his whole career is over and now this is his first moment.”

It’s a World Series where the pitcher has really made his mark. In Saturday’s Game 2, Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched his second straight complete game, retiring the last 20 hitters to Making the series tied 1-1 To Chavez Ravine.

The Dodgers are set to deploy Tyler Glasnow, part of a four-headed monster in this rotation that also includes Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani in addition to Yamamoto.

Scherzer, who arrived last winter on a one-year, $15.5 million contract, credited former Mets teammate Chris Bassett (also a Blue Jays outfielder) with his decision to head north of the border.

“(Bassett) has a really good pulse on what this club and team needs,” Scherzer said. “We were kind of talking throughout the whole offseason and when things started moving in my direction, it was like everyone clicked, that being back with him would be great for me and that this team could really go somewhere. They just needed to make some adjustments. But he was really eyes and ears for what this team could be.”

Scherzer started 17 games for the Blue Jays this season and pitched to a 5.19 ERA. He spent nearly three months at the start of the season on the injured list rehabilitating a right thumb injury.

And after a six-start stretch to close out the regular season in which he pitched to a 9.00 ERA, there were questions about where he might fit in the postseason (he was not used in the ALDS). But Scherzer came up big in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Mariners, allowing two earned runs over 5 ²/₃ innings to pick up the win.

Scherzer credited his three weeks off between starts for revitalizing him.

“It was really about getting healthy, getting over all the little ailments I had so I could hit the ball again and throw the ball the best I could,” Scherzer said. “So, yeah, I used that time in the division series to get fully healthy and I felt like it benefited me. So I’m ready to go out and compete in Game 3.”

Scherzer’s last World Series start was for the Rangers in Game 3 in 2023 against the Diamondbacks. It was removed after three stoppages due to back tightness.

But Scherzer said the disappointment of that outing did not affect his mentality Monday.

“(I will) never look back for any motive,” he said. “I have a lot of motivation. I’m here to win and I have a club full of players who want to win too. So we’re a great team and that’s the only thing I need to think about.”